14 drought-tolerant perennials

Agastache

This pretty plant will bloom throughout the entire summer and fall. It makes a great cut flower and attracts hummingbirds. This variety, "Desert Sunrise", has pink and lavender blooms. It can grow to 4 feet tall and should be planted in full sun and well-drained soil.

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea is resilient and hardy, producing loads of purple blooms throughout the summer. Butterflies love these pertty flowers, and they last and last when used in cut arrangements. Purple coneflowers can grow to be 5 feet tall.

Sundrops

These happy yellow blooms will brighten your gardens from spring all the way into early autumn. Sundrops take heat and drought like a champ, but can take over your gardens, especially in rich soil. They are 6 inches tall, and should be planted in full sun and well-drained soil.

Russian Sage

This super-tough plant can grow to 6 feet tall, and is great for the back row of garden borders or along fences. It is heat and drought resistant, and most pests like deer and rabbits will stay away from it. The fragrant silver foliage is just as pretty as the purple blooms.

Bush Sage

This tough plant grows well in a wide range fo conditions and blooms from late spring to early fall. It can grow to 3 feet tall, and attracts hummingbirds. This variety of salvia, "Raspberry Delight" has pretty raspberry-red flowers.

Meadow Sage

This type of Salvia produces clusters of violet-blue flowers from mid-summer through early fall. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them, and they make great cut flowers. This variety grows to be about 28 inches tall.

Mojave Sage

Mojave is one of the most beautiful of the sage (salvia) varieties. Its pretty pink blooms last well into the fall, and the gray-green foliage is pretty on its own. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to it, and it is a nice cut flower in arrangements. It grows to 3 feet tall.

Amsonia

This tough perennial blooms with beautiful sky-blue flowers in the late spring. Then in the autumn, its foliage turns brilliant shades of gold. Plant amsonia in full sun and well-drained soil, and it will grow to about 2 feet tall.

Lamb's Ears

This plant gets its name from its soft, fuzzy leaves. It's an easy-to-grow ground cover with a pretty silvery color that goes with any color scheme. If you have rich soil, however, it can spread aggressively and take over. It grows to 18 inches tall.

Penstemon

Pine-leaf penstemon is a semi-evergreen plant that produces bright red flowers in the summer, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. It's easy to grow in any sunny spot, and grows to be 18 inches tall.

Yarrow

This pretty perennial is great for country landscaping. It does very well in heat and drought, and deer, rabbits, and other pests leave it alone. Blooms come in yellow, orange, red, pink, and white, and it makes a great cut flower. Plants can grow to 4 feet tall, and should be planted in full sun and well-drained soil.

Lavender

Lavender looks and smells great, and you can use the dried flowers for cooking or crafts. Flowers are blue, lavender, purple, or white. The bushy plants can grow to 3 feet tall, and do well in full sun and well-drained soil. Lavender can take the heat and dry conditions, but won't do well if it's too wet.

Sedum

There are hundreds of different sedum varieties available, and they are nearly all drought resistant. This variety, "Frosty Morn", has variegated leaves, and produces clusters of pink flowers in the fall. It grows to 18 inches tall.